E3 2014: Dark decisions in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Over the years, CD Projekt Red has made a name for itself with the Witcher series. The Polish developer has gone from relative obscurity to high acclaim through its action role-playing game based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels. They’ve managed to impress fans with their lush visuals and complex combat system, but the team has really outdone themselves with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

At E3 2014, they showed off a short mission where Geralt of Rivia had to get help from the Ladies of the Wood in order to locate a mysterious woman with ashen hair. The trio spoke through a medium and gives the witcher a quest: He has to speak to the Ealdorman and get something from him. But that’s easier said than done as the village leader tasks Geralt with another quest, where the hero has to investigate an evil emanating from a tree in the distance.Geralt will explore some exotic locales.

A DYNAMIC WORLD: Yes, it’s one of those quest within a quest deals, but players won’t mind if it affords them a chance to explore the lush open world of Wild Hunt. It’s one of the most impressive open-world games I saw at the expo with every leaf rendered and the ripples on the water reacting to player movement.

In the demo, Geralt could mantle over low walls as he ran across monsters on the way to his destination. The combat looks more fluid than previous iterations as the protagonist circled and dodged attacks. For those unfamiliar with the series, the Witcher is more of a warrior than a mage, but he can cast quick spells that blast foes with fire, confuse them or push them away a la a Force push. He also can activate a magical shield that helps him absorb damage.

In this swampy area, players should look for flammable gas spots that can be ignited.

SMOOTHER-LOOKING COMBAT: This time around, one of the better wrinkles in combat is the emphasis on the environment. Knowing the area gives Geralt an advantage. For example, in swamps, there is gas that belches out of the ground and using a fire spell can ignite it. Elsewhere, knocking down beehives can create havoc for adversaries and open them up for attacks.

As the player gets to the aforementioned tree, they’ll run into a dead body. Players can use an ability called Witcher sense to find out how the person died. The power turns the screen gray
and highlights points of interest in red. That gave a clue to what lay ahead.

In preparation, the player activated a meditation mode, where Geralt can consume power-ups and craft weapons. One of the more fascinating items was mutagen, which strengthen Geralt by altering his DNA but is also potentially toxic if too much is consumed. Another vital aspect of meditation is that it moves the day-night cycle of the world forward, and that has a big impact on story points, enemy locations and other factors.

Horses are a great way to traverse the land and also attack foes.

FACING TOUGH DECISIONS: When Geralt was ready, he ventured forward and found a werewolf. While meditating, the player made silver shrapnel bombs, which helped make quick work of the monster, but they found out it, the creature wasn’t the evil from the tree. Using Witcher sense, the player discovered a path to a cave beneath the tree and that’s where the real objective hid.

The team showed off a secret route to the boss. It took Geralt through an underwater cave, showing off the witcher’s ability to dive underwater and swim. And that’s when he stumbles upon a difficult decision. There’s a demon-type creature trapped within the tree and it wants to make a deal with Geralt: Spare its life and it will tell him where to find orphans that have gone missing. It’s a tempting offer but can Geralt trust the entity?

The creature design in the Wild Hunt can be terrifying.

GORGEOUS CHARACTER DESIGN: The choice the player reverberates throughout the campaign, and they’re designed to be difficult ones. In the demo, the player killed the trapped creature and it summoned some monsters for aid. What I love about the series is how different its visual designs are. The monsters themselves have a unique look and that’s constantly echoed through the werewolves and griffins players will encounter.

It is even shown in the Ladies of the Wood. Players think that they’d either be old crones or dainty wood spirits, but when Geralt summons them with the chopped-off ear of the Ealdorman, they emerge as nightmarish freaks that look like something out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. They help out the witcher and also offer insight into the epic quest of the campaign.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is scheduled for release on Feb. 24, 2015, on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.